Stanhay Limited
STANHAY LIMITED 1854-1942 Ashford, Kent England STANHAY OF ASHFORD LIMITED 1936-1973 Ashford, Kent England COMPANY HISTORY Stanhay Limited later changed to Stanhay Of Ashford were a small agricultural engineering company who designed and manufactured of all types of agricultural equipment and implements for all types of crawlertractors and tractors before and after the war. Most of their products never used complicated mechanicals as they were making mainly farming tools, mining tools and other farmgear up until the 1930s when their production dwindled, Stanhay would then produce weapons and kept producing several types of small and light machinery like cabledrums, hoists, winches, farmtrailers for the domestic market and that kept the company active. Sales were very slow but successful specially around the Kent, Surrey and Sussex counties where their original equipment sold in healthy numbers to farmers and that provided Stanhay Limited with new product development for the next two decades. From the late 1940s onwards their model range also included their own original Fordson-based Agricultural Tractors, Mobilecranes and Yardcranes. All these new machines were available in small numbers and were all powered by original Fordson sourced mechanicals and running gear. Due to larger companies competing in the same market Stanhay Limited found several difficulties and used alternative unusual Ford and Landrover petrol engines for their new industrial machinery and farming equipment, as an alternative to the more common Fordson Diesel running gear which turned out to be cheaper and more plentiful at the time mostly because there were already many British made cars and trucks around using Petrol engines as Diesel fuel not so plentiful yet except for commercial vehicles and heavy machinery in those days. Since the 1950s the firm sold updated equipment and tried some new original cranes but these were never sold in large numbers as they hardly used hydraulics and used basic standard mechanicals. During the 1960s now under new management and trading under the new name of Stanhay Of Ashford, they celebrated a deal with Fordson Tractors who would allow them to produce a new generation of Orchard and Vineyard Tractors and other improved simmilar mechanical driven but lighter equipment still based on original Fordson running gear also with optional Petrol Landrover mechanicals to any customers choice. Stanhay also developed and produced Airport Refuellers and Airfield Tugs that were also produced during the 1960s and 1970s in a similar way as Thompson Brothers (Bilston) Ltd based at Bilston in Wolverhampton were once famous for. Because of slow sales and small dealership Stanhay Of Ashford went into receivership in the 1970s and closed in 1973. STANHAY COMPANY TIMELINE 1854 Company founded. 1948 Public company. 1961 Motor, agricultural and electrical engineers, manufacturing agricultural equipment, including "Stanhay" precision seed drill, hoists and tractor toolbars for home and export market. 340 employees.1 Photos show a curious vehicle built in 1968 specifically to pick up six apple boxes from orchards and transport them (at up to 45 mph!). Powered by a 2.6 litre Land Rover petrol engine. Land Rover transmission. Having straddled the specially-shaped boxes, the whole chassis is raised hydraulically. Retired from active service after 40 years, it is now privately owned in Somerset. 1940s Stanhay Special Tractor wheels.jpg|A 1940s Stanhay Special Parts and Wheels for most UK Tractors 1940s Stanhay Fordson Yardcrane.JPG|A 1940s Stanhay Fordson Yardcrane Diesel A 1950s Stanhay Mobilecrane Diesel.jpg|A 1950s Stanhay Fordson Mobilecrane Diesel 1950s Stanhay Fordson Tractor.JPG|A 1950s Stanhay-Fordson Orchard Farmtractor A 1960s Stanhay Applebox Transporter.jpg|A 1960s Stanhay Fruit Transporter with Landrover 2600 Petrol engine Category:Companies of the United Kingdom